Sunday, January 13th, 2018

Madrid, Spain

56th operating temple

Dedicated:  19 Mar 1999

By: Gordon B. Hinckley

Jesus Christ, Divine Sonship

Isaiah 9:6
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Book of Mormon
1 Nephi 11:12-30
*Who do I know that needs to read the Book of Mormon?
* Why didn't the angel just tell Nephi the meaning of the vision?
New Testament "Come Follow Me"
Luke 1:46-55 Mary's Magnificat
46 - My soul doth magnify the Lord,
47 - My spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior.
48 - He hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: ... henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
49 - He that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.
50 - His mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.
51 - He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
52 - He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.
53 - He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.
54 - He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy;
55 - As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.
General Conference

For Him

Joy D. Jones

"Can you think back on a time when you lovingly reached out with sincere effort to help someone in need and felt that your efforts went unnoticed or perhaps were unappreciated or even unwanted? In that moment, did you question the value of your service? If so, may the words of King Benjamin replace your doubt and even your hurt: 'Ye are only in the service of your God.'

Rather than building resentment, we can build, through service, a more perfect relationship with our Heavenly Father. Our love for and devotion to Him preempts the need for recognition or appreciation and allows His love to flow to and through us."

Ensign: "Mary, the Mother of Jesus" 

Gabriel appeared to Zacharias because he and Elisabeth had prayed for a miracle child, but he came to Mary ... not to fulfill a petition but to announce God's will for her. Calls of discipleship often require alterations to and personal life plans. 

It is another winter wonderland outside. It snowed during the night and we have another 6-8 inches. I love new snow, it makes the world look so beautiful and white. 

As I was studying Brother Bowen's talk, "The Role of the Book of Mormon in Conversion" for Relief Society I came across this statement:  "When I arrived in Chile, my mission president invited us to read the testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith recorded in the Joseph Smith-History every week. He taught us that a testimony of the First Vision would have a direct correlation to our own testimony of the gospel and our testimony of the Book of Mormon.

I believe this is true and I took the time today to read the First Vision. 

The bishop called James up out of the congregation during sacrament meeting to bear his testimony. I must say, he did a great job. I had several people tell me afterwards how much they enjoyed what he said. 

We didn't go to the Peeler's because Brother Peeler said his road was too bad but we found out later that Kathy and the Lauritzen's went so Donna did get the sacrament. 

Lorraine Vaught was not at church today so I called her to make sure she was okay. She said she had taken a fall yesterday and because of the snow she decided to stay home today. She thanked me for checking on her. Sister Halcomb, Kerri's mom, wasn't there either. Kerri said her hip was bothering her and she didn't want to take the chance of falling so she stayed home. 

I have today and tomorrow morning to finish my ministering interviews. I have 12 companionships and quarterly I am supposed to contact at least one person from each companionship. I was able to get 9 out of 12. I tried to contact the last three but they did not answer me.  Tamara got 10 out of 13 and Kerri 4 out of 13.

I quit taking my ibruprofen and hydrocodone because one of them was causing me to have shortness of breath. I went back to tramadol and it is causing me to itch like crazy!

President Nelson's 67 year old daughter passed away this week from cancer. She is the second daughter he has lost to cancer. He and Wendy were in Paradise, California today speaking to victims of the fire. 

A Prophet who has drawn from a hidden well of strength from the Lord.

James and I studied from the "Come Follow Me" lesson this evening. This week we are studying about worshipping the Savior in Luke 2 and Matthew 2.

I am excited that the new season of Victoria is on Masterpiece Theater beginning tonight. We did not watch it but I have it taped.

These two are a couple in real life. Maybe that is why they

are so believable.

 Getting ready for the Rome, Italy temple 

open house. The dedication is in March.

Brother and Sister Renlund spoke to

the young adults this evening.

 Trying out some cereal

 Not sure she likes it.

 Teething is the pits!

 Our little southern belle.

James writing in his journal.

From last week's lesson.

I love Walter Rane's artwork.

Saturday, January 12th, 2018

Colonia Juarez, Chichuachua, Mexico

55th operating temple

Dedicated: 6 Mar 1999

By: Gordon B. Hinckley

Jesus Christ, Divine Sonship

2 Nephi 17:14

Therefore, the Lord himself shall give you a sign - Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and shall bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Book of Mormon

1 Nephi 10:11-11:11

*What do I think it means to "diligently seek"?

* How has the gift of the Holy Ghost blessed you in your life?

New Testament "Come Follow Me" #2

Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-38 The faithful willingly submit to God's will.

Luke 1:37 - "With God nothing shall be impossible."

Luke 1:38 - "Be it unto me according to thy word."

General Conference

Believe, Love, Do

Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf

"The scriptures teach us that 'without faith it is impossible to please God: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is.

Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. This is the promise to all who seek to believe."

I read an article today in the Ensign called, "The Purpose that Will Change Our Ministering." Here are some quotes from that article:

Our efforts should be guided by the desire to help others achieve a deeper individual conversion and become more liked the Savior." In DC 67:13 it says: "Ye are not able to abide the presence of God now, neither the ministering of angels; wherefore, continue in 

patience until ye are perfected." 

1.) Connect service with the Savior, 2.) Focus on the Covenant Path, 3.) Invite and encourage.

Six ways we can help others progress toward Christ: Share, Promise Blessings (DC 130:20-21), Invite, Plan together, Support, Follow-up.

We were scheduled to clean the church again today. The Allen's were there when we arrived a little before 9 a.m. The Gardner's came at 9 and brought their two sons, Dimitri and Liam.

Here are what our cars looked like parked in front of the church: Notice they are all supposed to be white cars:

Allen's

Lexy

Gardner's 

They definitely win for dirtiest car.

Tina Allen and I cleaned the bathrooms. I got a kick out of this list I found:

The funny part is where it says to always were safety goggles.

Ha!

After we were finished at the church we went to the post office and mailed Anna's birthday card. I can't believe that she is going to be 17!

For lunch we had leftover beef steak and some venison. I believe I liked the venison better. James wanted to wash the car in the warmest part of the day, between 12 and 1, but I convinced him that we needed a nap before we started.

Once we got on our "gear" for using the power sprayer in the snow and mud we were ready to start. It was slow going at first. My assignment was to scrap as much mud out of the garage as possible while James worked on getting the power sprayer going. The first problem we had was that the hose had frozen water in it. I think frozen water is called ice. I got the heater from the bedroom and James slowly thawed the ice.

The next problem we had was getting it started. It is gas and has a pull rope. James tried a few times and then asked me to try. Nothing. He tried again and finally got it started. He wanted to clean out the garage first and then do the car. 

I got to help do the car. It was fun. I like using the power sprayer and watching the caked on mud come off. Here is my man working:

It's so nice to have a clean car and garage!

I always want to have a clean car when I go to

church or to the temple. Remember,

cleanliness is next to Godliness.

I blogged and then tried to order an antenna for our Mifi from Verizon but it's not happening because we have a business account and no one seems to be able to help me. 

James just ordered a book from a company called Bookholders for $46.99 and it sells on Amazon for $145.33. Hopefully ours will sell. So far we have sold one book for a profit.

We watched the new Hallmark movie tonight, "Winter Proposal" starring Taylor Cole, and Jack Turner. James has a little crush on Taylor.

Merry Christmas from the Dowdle's

I love our little "lamb" with her lamb

Such a sweetie!

Look how much she's grown!
Kacey's Bff

 Sheri's Bff

 I love this picture of Rowan snowboarding
about four years ago at Sunrise.

I don't think Addy liked it as much

as Rowan did.

 What a doll!

Friday, January 11th, 2018

Anchorage, Alaska

54th operating temple

Dedicated: 9 Jan 1999

By: Gordon B. Hinckley

Jesus Christ, Divine Sonship

Isaiah 7:14

Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Book of Mormon

1 Nephi 9:1-10:10

*Have you ever felt lie you were doing something the Lord asked you to do "for a wise purpose in Him, which purpose you knew not"?

New Testament "Come Follow Me"

Luke 1:5-25, 57-80 God's blessings come in His own time.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland promised, "Some blessings come soon, some come late, and some don't come until heaven; but for those who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, they come."

General Conference

All Must Take Upon Them the Name Give of the Father

Elder Paul B. Pieper

"Another meaning of the word take is to accept a person in a particular role or embrace the truthfulness of an idea or principle. When we take upon us the name of Christ, we accept Him as our Savior and continually embrace His teachings as the guide for our lives. In every meaningful decision we make, we can take His gospel to be true and obediently live it with all of our heart, might, mind, and strength."

Today would have been my grandpa Strickland's 130th birthday. Happy Birthday grandpa Al.

I read two articles from the Ensign, "Symbols in the New Testament," and "Phan Phon-Phnom Penk, Cambodia.

For lunch I had some of the leftover macaroni and cheese that Sheri made when she was here. It's actually Kim's recipe and uses several different kinds of cheeses, bread crumbs and bacon. He boys love it and so do I.

James fell asleep by the fire. His back and hip are hurting. He has no Lyrica unless he wants to spend $406.00. 

Cathi's daughter Wendy posted on Facebook today that she does not have to have chemo therapy. That is such great news!

I am finding out that the Amazon fulfillment fees are higher that I thought. I had to go through all of our books and re-price them. I accidentally deleted two books and because they have already shipped I don't know how to get them back into inventory with the right SKU's. Our last shipment of books is still inactive and I am concerned about that too. Running a business is stressful!

James met Anthony at the post office today and took him some of the elk roast and vegetables that he cooked all night in the crockpot. Brian brought the roast up when he came. I made some biscuits to go with it and Anthony said it was one of the most delicious meals he has had in a long time. 

James bought more textbooks today because this is "textbook" season. 

We finished watching "Becoming Jane" this evening. It was a little sad that someone who writes about relationships never got married. It made me want to go back and read all of Jane Austen's books again.

I will never be great or successful if I can't focus and if I lack self-control. I'm 70 years old and I'm running out of time.

She's practicing her pucker.

 Someone's got to change the lightbulbs.

It's either a crippled man or an arthritic old

lady.

Do you think zoodles are zucchini?

Thursday, January 10th, 2019

Monticello, Utah

53rd operating temple

Dedicated: 26 July 1998

By: Gordon B. Hinckley

Jesus Christ, Divine Sonship

Hebrews 1:5

For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?

Book of Mormon

1 Nephi 8:16-38

*What can we do to 'continually hold fast' to the word of God?

* How can we choose to partake of the fruit Lehi saw in his dream in our lives today?

New Testament "Come Follow Me"

Luke 1:5-25, 57-80 God's blessings come in His own time.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland promised, "Some blessings come soon, some come late, and some don't come until heaven; but for those who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, they come."

General Conference

Our Campfire of Faith

Elder Gerrit W. Gong

" A third campfire of faith encouragement: creative gospel joy and blessings come when we seek to love the Lord and others with all our hearts and souls. In the New Testament, our Savior states the two great commandments: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, ...and thy neighbor as thyself."

I read on Instagram today what makes a public speaker good:

1. They must somehow touch your heart, 2. You must learn something from them, 3. They must be memorable. 

At 9 am James and I listened to the Book Arbitrage webinar. We listened on my phone while I worked on book inventory and James did something else. It was quite good and we learned a few things.

Later we went to the Vernon library and bought 36 hardback books for $20. We bought around 10 for a dollar a piece and the rest were ten cents each. How fun! I'm excited to get this books into our inventory. We stopped at the post office and got another one of the children's books, "Letters to Miss LaRue." We dropped off our book box at the UPS store and then went shopping at Walmart. 

On the way home we stopped at the China Wok buffet and got two quarts of hot and sour soup. It was sooooo good that I ate one quart on the way home. It's a good thing that I keep spoons in my car.

We also stopped at the Show Low post office. We want to see how much it costs to ship our books merchant fulfilled instead of Amazon fulfilled because Amazon's fees are so high. James went in and came back out saying that it costs around $3.00 a book. It's probably going to cost us just a little less than Amazon fulfilled and we can't price the books as high as we can when they are Prime.

I got a text from Michael today. He wants to volunteer at St. Luke's Behavioral Health Center and wants to put grandpa down for a reference. He needs our physical address. It just changed so I gave him the new one. #16 County Road N3469. Michael told me a story while he was here about a party that he went to where some of the people were drinking. He left and those friends who stayed were raided by the police and got in trouble. Good decision Michael. He also told me about his plans for graduate school. One of the places he is considering in the University of Utah.

I finished my blog post for January 4th. I am gradually catching up because I try to do 2 posts a day. I also walked for 40 more minutes this evening before James and put on a movie. This time we are watching "Becoming Jane" the story of Jane Austen's life starring Anne Hathaway. I wanted to watch a Doris Day, Rock Hudson movie but I couldn't get the DVD to work. 

I had some shortness of breath when I was walking this evening. I think I'm going to go off the ibruprofen and hydrocodone and just take my tramadol from now on. 

 I love the way she looks at things!